GARLAND, TX POLICE OFFICER HONORED BY PRES. OBAMA

Posted by On May 18, 2016 0 Comment
Garland officer who shot ISIS-inspired terrorists at Muhammad cartoon event getting medal from Obama  

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: U.S. President Barack Obama presents Garland Police Officer Gregory Stevens the Medal of Valor during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, May 16, 2016, in Washington, DC. Established by President Bill Clinton in 2000 and officially recognized by Congress in 2001, the Medal of Valor is the nation's highest honor for law enforcement. 13 police officers are receiving the honor this year. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Barack Obama will honor the Garland police officer who took down two armed gunmen outside an anti-Muslim event a year ago, bestowing a Medal of Valor on Monday, according to the White House and Garland officials.

The traffic cop, Gregory Stevens, was working a security job at the school district’s Curtis Culwell Center as two men with assault rifles and body armor headed for a cartoon contest of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.
Although Stevens was later aided by a SWAT team on hand for the controversial event sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, the Garland Police Department credits Stevens with taking down the gunmen, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, considered terrorists by the FBI.
Stevens, armed with a handgun, left unscathed.  Obama will present Stevens the award “for demonstrating extraordinary courage to save lives,” according to the White House, which notes his close range gun fight prevented a mass shooting.
While not wanting to deny its officer the honor, the department remains concerned for Stevens’ safety after he was identified as the officer who shot the terrorists in the thwarted attack.
The incident will not be mentioned specifically at the ceremony, according to Garland police Lt. Pedro Barineau, a department spokesman. Stevens has not been made available for any public interviews.  “It’s never going to go away,” Barineau said. “But we don’t want to draw more attention to it.”
The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor is the highest national honor for valor awarded to public officers. It is presented to those, nominated by their peers, who have “exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life,” according to the White House.                                                                     
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